Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[notabitail]

Using peat moss is not great environmentally - wouldn’t wood shavings do just fine?

How is it not great environmentally?
They like the peat moss better. Chickens prefer laying in dirt rather than wood or hay. Also it absorbs moisture better.

 

[bgmathteach]

Good morning fluffy butts and all!

What do you call it? A screaming chicken.

Torturing the poor girl - didn't she make it clear right away "Go away, I'm busy and you are in MY space!"

 

[notabitail]

Torturing the poor girl - didn't she make it clear right away "Go away, I'm busy and you are in MY space!"

Felicitas used to hiss at me. Now she thinks I'm a rooster checking on her. Agathae still hisses a bit but quiets down when she sees my face.
Those Cream Legbars are great hissers.

 

[bgmathteach]

How is it not great environmentally?
They like the peat moss better. Chickens prefer laying in dirt rather than wood or hay. Also it absorbs moisture better.

Read this for more info

When pine trees are harvested, they get replaced with new plantings (in managed forests, anyways) Peat, like coal and oil, take a long time to 'create'. (not quite as bad/long, but it doesn't just 'grow' it's own replacements - it can take 10 years for 1cm of peat to form.

Tax:



Baby birds in a (partially) moss nest made from local mosses.

 

[notabitail]

Read this for more info

When pine trees are harvested, they get replaced with new plantings (in managed forests, anyways) Peat, like coal and oil, take a long time to 'create'. (not quite as bad/long, but it doesn't just 'grow' it's own replacements - it can take 10 years for 1cm of peat to form.

Tax:



Baby birds in a (partially) moss nest made from local mosses.

I'm still going to keep using it as it seems to be what works the best for my chickens. Unless there is a viable dirt like alternative that is better.
We switched after the bumblefoot thing to see if it helped them in terms of the amount of moisture in the coop and what not. It did reduce it quite a bit (and the dust baths-they would not stop).

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

Using peat moss is not great environmentally - wouldn’t wood shavings do just fine?

What about straw? Wood shavings are kind of hard to find here

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

Velociraptor mode!

 

[RoyalChick]

How is it not great environmentally?
They like the peat moss better. Chickens prefer laying in dirt rather than wood or hay. Also it absorbs moisture better.

Peat moss harvesting releases 22twice as much CO2 into the atmosphere every year as the entire airline industry. Because of the environmental damage that can come from harvesting peat, it has been banned in Europe. That is a quote from Architectural Digest of all places!

Also link below. It is a pretty well established issue and has been banned (at least in UK which I am most familiar with) for ages.

https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/harvesting-peat-moss-contributes-climate-change-oregon-state-scientist-says#:~:text=As it's harvested, the carbon,reptiles, insects and small mammals.

 

[notabitail]

What about straw? Wood shavings are kind of hard to find here

We used straw. They hated it. Especially when it was changed.

 

[notabitail]

Peat moss harvesting releases 22twice as much CO2 into the atmosphere every year as the entire airline industry. Because of the environmental damage that can come from harvesting peat, it has been banned in Europe.

https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/harvesting-peat-moss-contributes-climate-change-oregon-state-scientist-says#:~:text=As it's harvested, the carbon,reptiles, insects and small mammals.

I think bgmathteach beat you to it.
SHRA please? Preferably a Cream Legbar for Bob.